Globally, the consumption of energy has escalated. More particularly, the consumption of electrical energy has grown dramatically.
Energy conservation measures, such as the Energy Star program to improve the efficiency of electrical appliances, have been implemented to conserve electrical energy. However, initiatives to alter the habits of consumers of electrical energy at the grassroots level have not had a significant impact in reducing the amount of electrical energy that is wasted.
By way of a non-limiting example, the use of battery-powered electronic devices, such as laptop, notebook, and tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, cell phones, etc., has proliferated in recent years throughout the world. Typically, such electronic devices have rechargeable batteries, such as rechargeable lithium ion batteries, housed in the devices to provide power to operate the devices. In order to recharge the batteries, many electronic devices have a battery charger built into the devices, which connects to a power supply, for example, via a mini USB connector. The power supply is plugged into a standard 110 VAC electrical power outlet or other standard power outlet which feeds electrical power to the power supply which supplies power to the battery charger to charge the batteries.
However, users of laptop, notebook, and tablet computers, smartphones, cell phones, etc., may leave the devices connected to power supplies after the batteries have been charged, or disconnect the devices from power supplies, without unplugging the power supplies from the 110 VAC electrical power outlet. Hence, the power supplies, which typically comprise a transformer and other circuitry, continue to consume electrical power, albeit at a relatively low rate compared to the power consumed while the batteries are being charged. Nevertheless, because of the immense number of electronic devices that are in use worldwide and forecast increase in that number in the future, the cumulative power that is wasted by leaving the power supplies plugged into 110 VAC electrical power outlets is substantial and growing, as more and more electronic devices are placed in service.
These and other limitations of the prior art will become apparent to persons of skill in the art upon a reading of the following descriptions and a study of the several figures of the drawing.